Circular-knitting machine



A. E. PAGE CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Nov. 6. 1928.

Filed April 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet l A. E. PAGE CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINEFiled April 7, 1925 s Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 6, 1928. 1,691,025

l a I 2- 44 124 47.

l N VENTOR HZ A ert-E. Page by h 1'8 (1 liar/bays Nov. 6, 1928.

A. E. PAGE CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed April '7, 1925 s Sheets-Sheet5 INVENTOR ZZZ be rZ'E. PC1 96 Q9 his attorneys Patented Nov. 6, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,691,025 PATIENT OFF-ICE.

ALBERT E. PAGE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO SCOTT AND WILLIAMS,

INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINE.

Application filed April 7, 1925.

This invention relates to circular knitting machines and moreparticularly to means for controlling the knitting elements. It includesa continuously rotating element which,

while it is peculiarly useful as auxiliary pattern means in producingrecurrent sequences of pattern such as tucking or striping, can beemployed to control the needles, sinkers or yarn fingers forany purpose.The mecha-' 1c nism has only a few simple parts which are easy tooperate and broad in the scope of select-ions which they can make. Atthe same time the mechanism is ideal in its cooperation with theknitting elements and all the other selecting devices.

For purposes of illustration the invention will be shown and describedas a tucking attachment for the well-known Scott and Williams type ofseamless hosiery machine, but it is not limited to use as thatparticular type of attachment or on that particular type of circularknitting machine. 7

In the drawings, Fig. 1. is a plan View of the head and table of amachine showing.

the invention embodied as a tucking attachment;

Fig. 2 is an elevation on the line 22 of Fig. 1 looking at the auxiliaryneedle cams and the mechanism operating them from the right side of themachine, the horizontal pattern wheel not being shown;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the tucking attachment and the elementsnecessary to its operation;

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the levers controlling the auxiliaryneedle cams taken on the line indicated by arrow 4, Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a cross section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 showing the mountingof the auxiliary needle-cams; while Fig. 6 is a development of thecylinder cams showing the needle butts and jacks.

The principal element in my'invention 1s a. horizontal device 150revolving continuously at a different angular speed from that of therevolving elements of the knitting head and preferably at a speed inwhich one revolution equals several revolutions of said knittingelements. I prefer to locate this ele- -0 mentwhich may be termed ahorizontal pattern wheelabove the -bed plate of the machineadjacent tothe knitting head. It is driven from the usual segment driving pinion 38on the main drive shaft 32 of the knitting 65 machine by means of atrain of gears. This Serial No. 21,393.

train of gears includes the usual segment driving gear on the shaft 55meshing with the pinion 38, and a gear 143 on a short the gears 143 andGOand should be set before the lower screw 149. is tightened. The

.bracket fits around the usual bobbin stand I rod E both above and belowthe usual boss small 0 in the table-C through which the rod passes. Thisrod can be lifted out of the boss small 0 and bracket 148 by looseningthe usual set screws 0 y The horizontal pattern.

wheel 150 rotates on the rod E as anaxis. The wheel is connected to theupright shaft 147 by a gear 151 which is fastened to the bottom of thewheel'by screws (not shown), and setting means on the upper end of theupright shaft 147. These setting means include a loose gear 152 on theshaft 147 meshing with the gear 151 and a collar 153 settight on theupright shaft 147 above this loose gear by a set screw 154. In thecollar 153 is a. setting pin 155 constantly pressed against the loosegear by a spring (not shown). gear is a hole (not shown), adapted toreceive the setting pin when the pin and hole are in register.

It will be apparent from the above de-.

scription that the'horizontal pattern Wheel 150 will be drivencontinuously by the main drive shaft at a speed bearing a constantrelation to the speed of the needle cylinder. I prefer to gear it tosuch arelative speed that the needle cylinder always is in the sameangular position at the completion of a revolution of the horizontalpattern wheel 150. In other words, while the needle cylin der is makingseveral completed revolutions the-horizontal pattern wheel is making onerevolution and any time the horizontal pattern wheel is in any givenangular position the needle cylinder w ll always be found in one certainangul r position. In the ma- In the upper surface of the loose ch neshown in the drawings the wheel is' geared to make one revolution whilethe needle cylinder is making eight revolutions. If the one certainangular position, provided the.

horizontal pattern wheel were making even and not fractional revolutionsto one revolution of the needle cylinder.

In addition to maintaining the timing of the horizontal wheel with theneedle cylinder, it is necessary that this wheel be kept in time withvariouswselecting devices operated by the pattern chain. In the machineshown in the drawings, the pattern chain is racked every 4 courses andit takes 3 racks of the chain, i. e., 12 courses to pass one link. If atany time the pattern chain is advanced by hand, it may be racked afractional part of a link and thus in the arrangement ,shown in thedrawings put the selecting devices controlled by the chain four coursesahead of the wheel 150. In the machine shown in the drawings, the wheel150 is geared to make one revolution while the knitting cylinder ismaking 8 revolutions as already described, and the upright shaft 14'?carrying the setting pin is geared to make 2 revolutions for everyrevolution of the wheel. Since the upright shaft can be advanced onerevolution with relation to the wheel by lifting the setting pin out ofthe setting gear 152 and allowing number of revolutions of the needlecylinder corresponding toone revolution of the upright shaft 147 equalsthe number of revolutions of the needle cylinder occurring during oneracking of the pattern chain it will alvways be possible to put .thewheel 150 and the pattern chain in time, no matter how far the patternchain is advanced by hand and no matter how slowly the drum is geared toturn. It will be noted that the needle cyl inder and horizontal patternwheel cannot get out of time and that the pattern chain and horizontalpattern wheel can always be put-back in time very easily if the patternchaln is put out of time by being racked, by hand.

As already explained, my invention is pe culiarly useful 'in operatingneedle control elements such as "the auxiliary needle cams and in thedrawings I have shown my invention operating a raising cam 25 and alowermg cam 4 in such a manner as to produce two courses of tuckstitches alternated with six courses of plain work. The location andinteraction of these cams with the needles and jacks is substantiallythe. same as that shown and described in co-pending application forRobert W. Scott', Ser. No. 559.506,

filed May 9, 1922, Patent #1,641,554 dated September 6, 1927 this use ofmy invention being confined to the means operating the two auxiliaryneedle cams above mentioned.

The function of the lowering cam 4 is to draw the needles down to alevel at which they will ride along the surface of right hand side cam40 and pass under the leading stitch cam 360 unless raised again by someother means. Every other needle has a jack 380 which rides against itscam 366 just after the needle has passed the lowering cam 4. The needleswith jacks are lifted back to the normal path above the leading stitchcam 360, while the ackless needles travel below cam 360 and are raisedby lower center cam 9 to take yarn with out clearing their loops, thusmaking tuck stitches. The principal function of the raise ing cam 25 isto raise above the lowering cam 4 the butts of'the'needles on which tuckstitches are not desired.

The auxiliary lowering cam 4 is mounted on a bracket 430, bolted to thebedplate C of the machine, by means of a slide 431 which passescompletely through an upright arm of the bracket and has its outer endbent over as shown in Fig. 5. On this bent-over end is a horizontal setscrew 432 adapted to take against the outside of the bracket anddetermine the distance which the slide can move toward the needlecylinder. The cam 4 is fastened to the inner end of the slide and thereis a spring 433 in the upright arm of the bracket tending to keep thecam and slide as far towards the needle cylinder as the set screw 432will permit. The lever operating the loweringcam 4 is a bell crank lever434 pivoted on thebracket 430 by a "and from the horizontal patternwheel 150 by a drum cam 156 on the periphery of the wheel. Attached tothe upper end of the thrust rod 461 is a cam plate 23 adapted to bearagainst the free end of the bell crank lever 434, in such a manner thatwhen the thrust rod is raised the bell crank lever pulls the. loweringcam 4 away from the butts of ,the needles. The thrust rod 461 isoperated by a two step cam 501 on the main pattern drum 120. The lowerstep of the cam 501 on the main pattern drum is of such a height thatwhen the thrust rod'461 is on it the lowering needle cam 4 is partiallywithdrawn until it can take down only theneedles having long butts n\Vhen the thrust rod is on the higher step of the cam 501 the auxiliarylowering needle cam 4 is entirely with drawn. from contact with theneedle but-ts. The element providing contact between. the bell cranklever 434 and the horizontal pat.- tern wheel150 is an adjustable foot436 projecting from the free-end of the lever toward adrum cam 156 onthe horizontal pattern wheel 150. This adjustable foot 436 is held 13 0in a groove on the under side of the bell crank lever, and the extent towhich it projects from the lever is adjusted by an eccentric on thefootbearing against the lever. The end of the lever taking under thebent-over end of the slide 431 is pivoted and its angle is adjustable'by' a similar eccentric. The adj ustment of these eccentrics on thelever should be such that when the foot'is on the drum cam 156, thelowering cam 4 takes down only the needles having medium butts n or long0 The auxiliary raising needle cam. 25 is mounted on one end of abracket 424 pivoted on pin 425 located under the slide 431 (Fig.

5), and is controlled by a drum cam 157 on the horizontal pattern wheel150. To the opposite end of the bracket is pivoted a link 427 passing tothe drum cam through a. slot in a guide plate 428 which is fastened onthe l'owering cam bracket 430. This link 427 is made in two pieces toprovide adjustment. There is acoiled spring 426 tending to hold theraising cam 25 in engagement with the needle butts. The raising cam 25and its operating.

elements are so adjusted that when the link 427 is on the drum cam 157,the lowering cam is out of engagement with all the needle butts, andwhen the link is off the drum cam, the raising cam is in position toraise the needles having medium butts a and long butts n If desired thecam 25 can be disconnected from the drum cam 157 by means operated bythe main pattern drum in the same way. in which it is withdrawn from theneedle butts in R. \V. Scotts Patent #1,641,554 above mentioned.

Assuming that the machine is to make ribbed instep stockings with tuckstitches,

ing stitch cam. 360 and underl the top center cam 357 by its jack 380riding up the jack cam 366. The jaTckless needles pass under the 1leading stitch cam and over the lower center cam 9 making tuck stitches.The instep needles are the ones with long butts and there fore it istheinstep which is tucked. The

medium and short butt needles are not drawn down by the auxiliarylowering cam 4 and therefore donot tuckw at this point. When themachineis ready to put in tuck stitches all the way round the stocking,the thrust rod 461 drops. off the cam 501 onto the main pattern drum 120and the lowering cam 4 goes all the way in and draws down all theneedles.

The alternation of two tucked courses with six plain courses is obtainedbyuse of the horizontal pattern wheel. During the second course of tuckstitches and while the long butt needles are being taken down by thelowering cam 4, the drum c-am 157 on the wheel 150, which has beenholding the raising crank lever and withdraws the lowering cam 4 till itjust misses the low butts. 'When changing from plain to tuck courses,drum cam 157 removes the rising cam 25 fromaction while the short buttneedles are opposite it, and when the long butt needles are next on thelowering cam 4 the foot of the bell crank lever drops off the drum 156,the lowering cam goes all the way in and when the short butt needlescome around again they will be drawn down.

It should be noted that if at any time it is desired to change therelative speeds of the needle cylinder and horizontal pattern wheel thiscan be accomplished by simply substituting another pair of gears forgears 151 and 152. Many other changes will occur to those skilled in theart, which do not depart from the scope of my invention.

What I 'claim is 1. In a circular knitting machine a; circumferentiallyfree horizontal pattern means mounted on a vertical axis above thebedplate of the machine, in combination with means below the bedplaterevolving saidpattern means continuously in timed relation to theknitting head at angular and circumferential ipeeddsdifi'ering fromthose of the knitting ea a 2. In a circular knitting machine, acircumferentially free horizontal pattern means mountedon a verticalaxis above the bedplate of the machine, and means below the bedplaterevolving said pattern means continuously .in timed relation to theknitting head at an angular speed less than that of the knitting head,in combination with lever means separate from said horizontalpatternaneans, but adapted to be actuated from said horizontal patternmeans, to control the knitting elements. 7 I

3. A clrcular hoslery knittlng machine having a main drive shaft, ahorizontal pattern wheel revolving continuously at anan gular speed lessthan that of the knitting head and located above the bedplate of themachine, and cams on saidgwheel, in combination with lever means adaptedto transmit the selections of the cams to the knitting head, and

other pattern means adapted to cause disconnection of said lever meansfrom said cams.

4. A circular knitting machine having a horizontal pattern wheeladjacent to but not touching the knitting head and adapted to revolvecontinuously at an an ular speed of one revolution to a plurality 0complete rev.- olutions of the knitting head.

5. A circular knitting machine having a continuously revolvinghorizontal pattern wheel on a vertical axis, cams on the peripherythereof, and lever means adapted to transmit the selections of said camsto the knitting elements, in combination with an intermittently movingpattern means adapted to causedisconnection of said lever means fromsaidcams.

6. A circular; knitting machine having a knitting head, and a patternchain adapted to be racked after a certain number of revolutions of theknitting head, in combination with a horizontal auxiliary pattern wheelon i a vertical axis adapted to be revolved continumain drive shaft, aknitting head driven therefrom, a pattern chain adapted to be rackedafter a certain number of revolutions of the knitting head, a trainof'gears, and a horizontal auxiliary pattern wheel on a vertical axisadapted to be revolved continuously from the main drive shaft by saidtrain of gears at an angular speed of one revolution to one or morerackings of the pattern chain, in combination with means in said trainof gears adapted to permit'setting of said horizontal auxiliary patternwheel forward or back an amount equal to one racking of the patternchain.

In testimony whereof I have signed my

